News

What is the Purpose of this Act?
It is the purpose of this Act to restore reliance on the professional judgment of the treating physician and the rehabilitation team when determining whether a Medicare patient meets the intensity of therapy requirement of an inpatient rehabilitation hospital or unit. The amendment gives patients enhanced access to the appropriate mix of medically necessary therapeutic rehabilitation services in the IRF setting, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and, as needed, speech therapy, orthotics and prosthetics, and recreational therapy.

What does this bill do?
This bill will amend the Social Security Act by including recreational therapy among the modalities that constitute an intensive rehabilitation therapy program and can be explicitly counted toward the so-called "three hour rule" in inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and units.

US Representative, Glenn "G.T." Thompson, former ATRA President and CTRS, introduced HR 1906 -- the 2015 Bipartisan Inpatient Rehabilitation Act on April 22. View a video of Congressman Thompson's introduction of this bill to the US House of Representatives. The bill was co-introduced by Congressman Thompson and Congressman G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina.

According to Congressman Thompson, "This legislation will undo the unnecessary barriers imposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2010 that placed limitations on what types of therapy a beneficiary could receive." He continues, "these limitations restrict recreational therapy from being prescribed, despite it being medically necessary in many cases."

Detailed information and a Call to Action will be forthcoming from ATRA's Federal Public Policy team. Be prepared to assist ATRA's Federal Public Policy team with support for this critical legislation.